    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [December 3, 2004]
    [Pages 3045-3046]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections
    Act of 2004
    December 3, 2004

        Today, I have signed into law H.R. 1047, the ``Miscellaneous Trade
    and Technical Corrections Act of 2004.'' The Act modifies temporarily
    certain rates of duty under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United
    States and makes other amendments to U.S. trade laws.
        The executive branch shall construe section 1560(b) of the Act,
    relating to interaction between the Bureau of Customs and Border
    Protection of the Department of Homeland Security and the Government of
    Canada, in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional
    authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs and to supervise the
    unitary executive branch.
        As is consistent with the Appointments Clause of the Constitution,
    the executive

    [[Page 3046]]

    branch shall construe section 401(I) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
    amended by subsection 1561(a) of the Act, not to authorize the exercise
    of significant U.S. Governmental authority by foreign law enforcement
    officers.
        Section 629(e) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as enacted by section
    1561(b) of the Act, provides that any foreign customs or agriculture
    inspection official stationed in the United States under section 629(e)
    may exercise such functions, perform such duties, and enjoy such
    privileges and immunities as U.S. officials may be authorized to perform
    or are afforded in that foreign country by treaty, agreement, or law.
    The executive branch shall construe section 629(e) to authorize the
    executive branch to allow the specified foreign government officials to
    perform functions of such foreign government inside the United States on
    the same basis as the specified U.S. Government officials may perform
    their U.S. Government functions in that foreign country and, as is
    consistent with the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, shall not
    construe the provision to authorize the exercise of significant U.S.
    Governmental authority by foreign officials.
        The executive branch shall construe the repeal, in section 1561(c)
    of the Act, of section 127 of the Treasury and General Government
    Appropriations Act, 2003, as contained in the Consolidated
    Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108-7), as repealing the amendments
    that were made to title 19 of the United States Code by section 127.
    Such a construction of section 1561(c) is consistent with the text and
    structure of amendments to title 19 made by section 1561.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     December 3, 2004.

    Note: H.R. 1047, approved December 3, was assigned Public Law No. 108-
    429. This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    December 6. An original was not available for verification of the
    content of this statement.